MILTONVALE REFORESTATION PROJECT Northern Leopard Frog, Lithobates pipiens Description: The body of the northern leopard frog can be green or brown. The frog has large, circular spots with light edged spots. It has prominent light-colored dorsolateral ridges and a white stomach. Northern leopard frog adults usually grow to be about 5-8 cm long. The largest leopard frogs have been known to grow up to 13 cm., but this is rare. Similar Species: In Eastern Canada the northern leopard frog is most similar to the pickerel frog. Pickerel frogs have square shaped spots, a yellow bel- ly and always have a brown body color. Habitat: Leopard frogs can be found in a wide range of habitats from permanent ponds to swamps, marshes, slow moving streams, forested or open areas and urban settings. They are often found quite far away from water. Dur- ing the winter months they hibernate on the bottoms of water bodies that don’t freeze. Food: Leopard frog tadpoles eat plants, algae, and the remains of invertebrates and other tadpoles. Adults eat almost anything they can catch including insects, other invertebrates, and sometimes small vertebrates such as mice or fish. Call: The males call is a low snore followed by several low grunts. which does not carry far. The sound is similar to a finger rubbing being rubbed on a wet balloon. The call is similar to a Pickerel frog but more complex. Breeding: • Breeding occurs in mid to late spring • Males arrive at the breeding ponds first and call while floating on the surface of the water • Egg masses are attached to submerged vegetation • Females can lay up to 7000 eggs but generally lay half this number • Eggs are approximately 1.5 mm in diameter and hatch into tadpoles in 1-3 weeks (mid to late summer) depending on the air and water temperature. • By early August the tadpoles turn into adult frogs. Photos by Green Thumb Photography .